


Sifu Prettyboy

by lonelyprinces



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Backrubs, Confessions, Kissing, M/M, Pet Names, Sleepy Morning Cuddles, Tender - Freeform, Young Love, boys being soft, choo choo all aboard the zukka train, fellas is it gay to watch the former prince of the fire nation practice bending while shirtless, positive affirmations, ultra flirty sokka, zukka - Freeform, zuko is a good boy but he's oblivious as hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:01:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24971965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonelyprinces/pseuds/lonelyprinces
Summary: It was one thing for Sokka to tease Zuko about his bending, but shamelessly flirting with him, too? Now that was going too far.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 47
Kudos: 1103





	Sifu Prettyboy

In truth, Zuko never really minded the teasing, not when it involved generic nicknames like “Sifu Hotman” and “Jerkbender.” Responding to those was pretty straightforward. Some shouting here, a little steam coming out of his ears there. Sokka would hoot with laughter, but get the hint and be on his merry way eventually.

Really, though, these days it had gone much too far. Like the time he and Aang had been sparring at the crack of dawn, in that relentless heat. Blinding white and yellow light sent dizzy black splotches to the corners of Zuko’s vision, and sweat dripped off his neck and shoulders as though squeezed through a wet rag. Zuko had pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it aside between blasts of flame. He dodged Aang’s counterattack, wiping away the thick clump of dark hair that clung to his forehead. Agni, it was hot. Hotter than Sozin’s comet, he imagined.

Off to his left, he heard a loud, jarring wolf-whistle, followed by some whooping. He steeled his gaze forward, widening his stance to prepare for a kick …

“ _Ow, ow! Is it hot in here or what?_ ”

“Cut it out!” Zuko rounded on Sokka, who giggled to himself behind a heap of rocks. He frowned comically, blue eyes wide as saucers.

And in that moment, Zuko knew he’d lost. Aang had lunged directly at him, a grin covering half his face.

“If the Fire Lord has your temper, Zuko, beating him’s gonna be a breeze,” Aang said, face glowing mischievously.

“Yeah, you might wanna work on that,” Sokka added, emboldened. “Although if we were still fighting _you_ , I’d probably be distracted myself, not gonna lie.”

“What are you talking about?” Zuko huffed, succumbing even more to the sore loser role.

“Oh, please, prettyboy, as if you didn’t know,” Sokka smirked, giving Zuko’s chest a blatant once-over and then hunkering back down in the safety of the bushes. Zuko’s mouth twisted in bemusement.

“It _is_ pretty hot,” Aang said, stretching meditatively. “Why don’t we put this off till the afternoon? Sound good?”

Zuko shrugged. Easy to say when you weren’t the loser _and_ the butt of Sokka’s jokes.

* * *

“Your hair’s gotten so long, babe. It looks _waaaaaay_ better than that ponytail, if you ask me.”

“Who asked you?” Zuko grouched, rolling over onto his side. Even nestled up against Appa’s fur, the bumpy ridges of the cave left jabs of pain in his back. The moon hung directly ahead, bathing them both in enough light to see, even without a fire going.

“Nobody, I guess,” Sokka tittered. “But as something of a connoisseur, I think it looks nice.”

An angry red stain spread over Zuko’s cheeks, though Sokka almost certainly couldn’t see it. Zuko’s heart thrummed, too, inexplicably.

“Why do you make fun of me?” he demanded, feeling five years old.

Sokka blinked. “I, uh … what?”

“You and your … comments.”

“Comments?”

“Sokka, don’t play dumb. You’ve been doing it for weeks now.”

Sokka scratched his head.

“The other day you were talking about my eyes, and now my hair—”

“Well, yeah, of course I was, ’cause your eyes are like, liquid gold or something!” Sokka exclaimed. “Oooh, that was a good one,” he said, to himself this time. “‘Liquid gold.’ I should put that in a poem.”

“There you go, you’re doing it again!”

“Will you guys shut up? Some of us are trying to sleep!” Toph grumbled from the far end of the cave.

Zuko rubbed his right eye blearily, and took extra care while rubbing the left one, avoiding the heavy scarring as usual. “I know you must think it’s funny,” he said, whispering but somehow managing to sound imperious, “Making fun of the new guy. The guy who used to be bad. I know you all like to be lovey-dovey around here, but you don’t have to try it on me for laughs.”

Sokka sat up, scratching his head and scooting closer to Zuko, leaning up against Appa’s side. “I’m not making fun of you,” he said, leaning close to be heard over the sky bison’s snores. “I mean, I am sometimes, _Jerkbender_ , but when I am, you’ll know it.”

“Why are you talking about my eyes being liquid gold, then? And last week, whistling at me. And plenty of times before that!” Zuko felt his voice rise into a sort of whine, but swallowed it down quickly.

“It’s called a _compliment_ , buddy.”

_About my bare chest?_

Zuko felt a flush of heat course through his every limb, and not of the firebending variety. Mai hadn’t been the affectionate type, but she had made comments about his physical appearance now and again. Uncle Iroh had called him handsome plenty of times, but never like this …

“Sokka, I don’t—”

“Someone like you, I can’t believe you don’t see it.” Sokka yawned wide, shoving his face into a mound of fur, and falling promptly asleep.

* * *

If Zuko’s being honest with himself—completely, utterly honest—it happened at least as far back as the Boiling Rock, perhaps even sooner. He’d noticed those blue eyes, the striking contrast they made with that warm brown skin. And of course there was that lopsided grin, as he tried and failed to hold back a joke that only his friends got to hear. After a long, fruitless day of chasing the Avatar, when Zuko finally allowed himself to rest, he’d hole himself up in his quarters and think of that Water Tribe boy. He’d wake again with an unbearable ache in his chest, missing those slender, muscled arms he’d felt wrapped around him all night.

Really, in those days it had been innocent. It had been Avatar, Avatar, _Avatar’s Water Tribe friend_ , Avatar. He’d been nothing if not vigilant in the pursuit of his honor. And if the key to that just happened to feature an attractive boy his age now and again, well, what of it?

But in the end, fantasizing about that boy didn’t have anything on actually being in his presence. More clenched fists and gritted teeth, yes, but also a thrum of warmth when Sokka met his gaze for too long. An electric current through his body whenever Sokka grabbed his hand, touched his shoulder, mussed up his hair. Oh Agni, even during the most mundane of tasks—when he got extra-thorough mapping out their travel plans for the day, or when he hunched over the campfire, turning his meat skewer to cook equally on all sides. Katara would complain that he was burning it, and why couldn’t he stop being such a big dolt already, but all Zuko would see in those moments was perfection.

_Someone like you, I can’t believe you don’t see it._

Zuko could’ve said the same for someone else.

* * *

The morning after the hair comment, Zuko woke to find Sokka curled into his side, breathing deep against his neck.  He was just as snug and muscular as Zuko had hoped.

“Mmm … so toasty …” Sokka murmured, practically reading his mind.

“Sokka,” Zuko said, instantly regretting it as Sokka blinked awake and pulled himself into a sitting position.

“G’morning, sweetie,” Sokka said, performing a full-body stretch.

Zuko panicked. “Let’s keep sleeping.”

“Oh, okay. Didn’t sleep well?”

“No. Got a kink in my back.”

“Aww, I’m sorry, baby. Want me to rub it for ya?”

Zuko felt that weightlessness in his chest again; his fingers and toes tingling with pins and needles. He swallowed.

Without thinking, but still thinking too much at the same time, he said sure.

“Turn your back to me,” Sokka said. Zuko sat up straight, squaring his shoulders, but as soon as Sokka took up the heavy massage, he slumped, relaxing completely. Sokka hummed quietly under his breath as he rubbed out the stiff joints and knots with his hands, occasionally using his elbows.

“You’re so stiff,” he said in wonderment. “Like, even-before-sleeping-in-a-rocky-cave stiff.”

“Sorry.”

“Nah, don’t be. I’m glad I get to do this.”

They remained like that for some time, Zuko nearly soothed to sleep again by Sokka’s slow, steady kneading.

“Next time, we gotta find some comfier bedrolls,” Sokka said softly. “Or like, actually sleep _on_ Appa—if he doesn’t mind, that is.”

“Mm-hm.”

“I’m guessing this is pretty different from your bed at the palace, huh? Not exactly the life of a prince we’re living out here.”

“Well, I’ve mostly been on ships the past three years, but I know what you mean.”

Several more minutes of comfortable silence, of Sokka’s hands rubbing at his back, shoulders, and curling up into his hairline.

“Zuko?” Sokka said.

Zuko turned slowly, meeting him with a sleepy gaze. “Hm?”

“I meant it, you know. I wasn’t teasing. Not about … well.”

Zuko’s lips parted.

“Your eyes? Damn. They really do look like liquid gold, especially right now, at dawn. They take my breath away.”

Zuko’s lips parted wider.

“And now I can’t stop staring at that mouth of yours, either.”

Zuko reached out, his hand hovering for a moment above Sokka’s knee and resting there.

“Sokka …”

“I really wanna kiss you, man.”

Just like that, Zuko was leaning into that shy grin, and Sokka was kissing those regal bow lips. Sokka’s shoulders were just as broad and sturdy as he’d imagined them; the hands tangling in his hair just as gentle and nurturing.

“Can I ask you …?” Sokka said between kisses.

“Hmm?”

“Why won’t you take my compliments? I mean, you won’t take Katara’s or anybody’s either, and they’re not even being flirty.”

Zuko’s body shook with silent laughter as he kissed a sensitive spot along Sokka’s jaw. “I—I’ve never thought I looked all that great,” he admitted. “Especially not with ... well.” He gestured vaguely at the scarred portion of his face. “You know, ‘let’s laugh at the new guy with no friends and the messed up appearance …’”

Sokka stiffened abruptly, pulling Zuko in close and squeezing him so he could hardly breathe. “Shit, shit, shit. Zuko, baby, I am so sorry. It was never like that at all, I promise.” Zuko hugged him back just as tight. “We’re glad you’re here, and that you’re our friend—”

“ _Friend?_ ” Zuko considered, arching his good eyebrow in a rare moment of cockiness.

“Weeell …” Sokka snickered. “Yes. But in our case, hopefully something else too.”

“Yeah. Definitely.”

“You’re our friend and you’re something else _and_ you’re the prettiest guy I’ve ever seen. Like, to the point where training shirtless with Aang was just kind of evil, not gonna lie.”

Zuko threw his head back in laughter. “Agni, I could never have predicted this. You’re not so bad yourself,” he admitted.

“Jeez, two minutes into whatever-this-is and you’re already teasing me?” Sokka gasped. “How the tables have turned …”

“You _guuuuuys_.” Toph’s voice sounded groggily. “Some of us are still trying to sleeeeep.”

“What are they even—?” Katara asked this time.

“Smooching, that’s what! I can feel their vibrations all the way over here. Took them long enough.”

“Their _what?_ No, you know what, wait. I don’t even want to know. Goodnight.” Katara plugged her ears against Aang’s quiet laughter and Toph’s straight-up cackles.

“Whaddya say, Zuko honey, should we try to get another few winks?” Sokka asked, yielding. “Might be comfier this time around.”

“Yeah, let’s try it.” Zuko burrowed his face up against Sokka’s side, wrapping his arms around that strong torso. Ah, yes. _Much_ better.

Sokka pecked Zuko’s forehead once more for good measure, and the two of them fell back asleep, snuffed out like candles in the low morning light.


End file.
